July 9, 2013

Clouds usually make for more interesting and beautiful sunrises and sunsets. The American Southwest is not typically a cloudy place, though. So when clouds are around during very dry spells, those clouds are usually not the moisture-bearing kind. Instead, they can be the very damaging and life-threatening smoke clouds caused by a raging fire.

The clouds in this June 18, 2013, Sedona, Arizona, sunset photo were caused by the Doce Fire which started two days earlier on June 16 in Prescott, Arizona. Later in the month, the more well-known and devastating Yarnell Hill Fire, also in Prescott, went on to kill 19 elite firefighters.

Prescott fire clouds seen at sunset over Sedona, Arizona, June 18, 2013